Flying Together 8-South Sudan

SOUTH SUDAN - THE LAND OF RUSTLING OF WINGS AND PEOPLE TALL AND SMOOTH
M.M.NINAN
May 27, 1993 Bishop of the Sudan Pleads for Assistance from the West 93107
Episcopal News Service
Bishop Seme Solomona of the Anglican Province of the Sudan recalled the day when he and a
congregation of worshipers huddled in the cathedral in Yei, expecting to be massacred by an
approaching rebel army. "If we are to be massacred," the bishop said to his people, "what better place
to be than in the church?"
Seme's searing story, reported on a recent visit to the United States, underscored the daily climate of
violence, fear and deprivation that confronts the people in his care.
As the attention of the news media and the response of relief agencies continue to focus on the
situation in Bosnia, Seme and other Anglican Church leaders in the Sudan remind the world that they,
too, are facing a severe crisis.
According to Seme, a desperate need for clothing, medicine, doctors and nurses, and educational
opportunities continues to threaten the lives of thousands who have fled the ravages of a decade-long
civil war.
Culturally divided
The Sudan is a nation divided by culture and religious conflict. In the south where Seme lives, an
African culture of Christians and adherents of native religions predominates. In the north most citizens
are Muslims and consider themselves Arabs. The population in the Sudan includes 5 million Christians
of which 2 million are Anglicans -- nearly the same number as Episcopalians in the United States.
Seme is one of two bishops in charge of the 11 Anglican dioceses in the southern part of the Sudan
that is controlled by rebel forces who are waging war against the Muslim government located in the
capital, Khartoum.
Although the current battles in the civil war began 10 years ago, the Sudanese people have endured
war for 29 of the last 39 years. In the past decade, more than 600,000 people have died as a result of
the war. Currently more than 700,000 civilians live within the area of the fighting.
Nearly 3 million people have been displaced in the Sudan. Approximately 750,000 Sudanese are
totally dependent on relief assistance for survival, and an equal number are at risk. UN officials
contend that war is responsible for more deaths than the drought conditions or the scarcity of natural
resources.
The church grows despite the war
Despite the carnage and upheaval of the war, the Anglican Church is enjoying "great growth in the
south," Seme said. "God has used us in war and the church has grown by leaps and bounds," he said.
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